| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.14 |
| Liaison | Teddy Lhoutellier |
| Submission Date | Jan. 26, 2022 |
University of Miami
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Teddy
Lhoutellier Sustainability Manager Environmental Health and Safety |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Local advocacy
Yes
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level:
City of Coral Gables
UM has been a total supporter of the first ban on polystyrene and plastic bag in South Florida municipalities. UM has been one of the first major city's partner to comply with and promote the ordinance. The University participated in the making of both ordinances through meetings with the City Attorney and the City Sustainability Coordinator (Anderson, Matthew manderson@coralgables.com)
https://www.coralgables.com/expandedpolystyrene
The UM School of Architecture Center for Urban & Community Design has a Memorandum of Understanding in place with the City of Coral Gables. The contract allow UM to digitally survey historic properties in Coral Gables. Through their preservation division, UM is also collaborating with Coral Gable on climate resiliency.
City of Miami
• UM is participating as a member of the MetroLab Network along with the City of Miami to continue collaborating within and across our communities to research, develop and deploy technology-enabled solutions that can help address our communities’ most pressing challenges, and make them sustainable and "smart" communities.
• The School of Architecture's Center for Urban & Community Design and the Resilient Miami Initiative, an interdisciplinary and inter institutional group of faculty focused on resilient design for historic neighborhoods, partner with the City of Miami on several projects linking historic preservation and resilient design.
• Faculty from the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and the School of Architecture have assisted the City of Miami Sea Level Rise Committee and the Waterfront Advisory Board in providing policy recommendations to the City Commission.
City of Miami Beach
• UM worked very closely with the City's Zika Virus Task force experts present in front of the City of Miami Beach Commission.
• UM is participating as a member of the MetroLab Network along with the City of Miami Beach to continue collaborating within and across our communities to research, develop and deploy technology-enabled solutions that can help address our communities’ most pressing challenges and make them sustainable and "smart" communities.
Memorandum of Understanding between University of Miami, Florida International University, and Florida Atlantic University (Resilient Miami Initiative):
UM's Resilient Miami Initiative includes faculty members from the School of Architecture, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, College of Engineering, School of Communication, Departments of Geology, Geography, Computational Sciences, and Law School.
The Resilient Miami Initiative is an interdisciplinary and inter institutional group of faculty focused on resilient design for historic neighborhoods, chaired by Sonia Chao, Director of The School of Architecture's Center for Urban & Community Design.
UM has been a total supporter of the first ban on polystyrene and plastic bag in South Florida municipalities. UM has been one of the first major city's partner to comply with and promote the ordinance. The University participated in the making of both ordinances through meetings with the City Attorney and the City Sustainability Coordinator (Anderson, Matthew manderson@coralgables.com)
https://www.coralgables.com/expandedpolystyrene
The UM School of Architecture Center for Urban & Community Design has a Memorandum of Understanding in place with the City of Coral Gables. The contract allow UM to digitally survey historic properties in Coral Gables. Through their preservation division, UM is also collaborating with Coral Gable on climate resiliency.
City of Miami
• UM is participating as a member of the MetroLab Network along with the City of Miami to continue collaborating within and across our communities to research, develop and deploy technology-enabled solutions that can help address our communities’ most pressing challenges, and make them sustainable and "smart" communities.
• The School of Architecture's Center for Urban & Community Design and the Resilient Miami Initiative, an interdisciplinary and inter institutional group of faculty focused on resilient design for historic neighborhoods, partner with the City of Miami on several projects linking historic preservation and resilient design.
• Faculty from the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and the School of Architecture have assisted the City of Miami Sea Level Rise Committee and the Waterfront Advisory Board in providing policy recommendations to the City Commission.
City of Miami Beach
• UM worked very closely with the City's Zika Virus Task force experts present in front of the City of Miami Beach Commission.
• UM is participating as a member of the MetroLab Network along with the City of Miami Beach to continue collaborating within and across our communities to research, develop and deploy technology-enabled solutions that can help address our communities’ most pressing challenges and make them sustainable and "smart" communities.
Memorandum of Understanding between University of Miami, Florida International University, and Florida Atlantic University (Resilient Miami Initiative):
UM's Resilient Miami Initiative includes faculty members from the School of Architecture, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, College of Engineering, School of Communication, Departments of Geology, Geography, Computational Sciences, and Law School.
The Resilient Miami Initiative is an interdisciplinary and inter institutional group of faculty focused on resilient design for historic neighborhoods, chaired by Sonia Chao, Director of The School of Architecture's Center for Urban & Community Design.
Regional advocacy
Yes
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level:
• In accomplishing greater access to healthcare with prevention and better healthcare outcomes, UM has created a number of programs that serve the greater population such as the IDEA Exchange, the first needle-exchange pilot program in the State which was then expanded statewide with advocacy to the State Legislature. The exchange program also has a clinic designed to help people who inject drugs, with a goal to lower the state’s high rates of HIV transmission and other blood-borne diseases.
• UM advocates for state funding with the creation of the Firefighter Cancer Initiative at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, which aims to better understand the risks firefighters are exposed to and how those risks can be reduced through the development of sustainable best practices and decontamination efforts shifting policy and practices at the state, federal, and international level to help save those most at-risk. This work lead to an MOU with the Federal NIOSH to help assist with efforts on the National Firefighter Cancer Registry.
• The University of Miami created a Laboratory for Integrative Knowledge (U-Link) to support teams of scholars from multiple disciplines in collaborative, problem-based inquiry to address the complex challenges of society and find new innovative sustainable solutions in tackling these issues.
https://ulink.miami.edu
• The Sylvester Game Changer Vehicle is a UM created mobile heatlh clinic that has mobilized access to healthcare by bringing health education and free screening to local communities experiencing a disproportionate burden of disease – primarily underserved areas. Visitors of the Game Changer Vehicle can receive the following services for free regarding (1) Education about cancer and cancer prevention/early detection (2) Screening for common cancers and other illnesses that increase the risk of developing cancer (3) HIV testing (associated with multiple cancer including cervical cancer, blood cancer, and rare skin cancers) (4) Counseling/referrals to other local resources and cancer prevention opportunities.
• UM advocates for state funding with the creation of the Firefighter Cancer Initiative at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, which aims to better understand the risks firefighters are exposed to and how those risks can be reduced through the development of sustainable best practices and decontamination efforts shifting policy and practices at the state, federal, and international level to help save those most at-risk. This work lead to an MOU with the Federal NIOSH to help assist with efforts on the National Firefighter Cancer Registry.
• The University of Miami created a Laboratory for Integrative Knowledge (U-Link) to support teams of scholars from multiple disciplines in collaborative, problem-based inquiry to address the complex challenges of society and find new innovative sustainable solutions in tackling these issues.
https://ulink.miami.edu
• The Sylvester Game Changer Vehicle is a UM created mobile heatlh clinic that has mobilized access to healthcare by bringing health education and free screening to local communities experiencing a disproportionate burden of disease – primarily underserved areas. Visitors of the Game Changer Vehicle can receive the following services for free regarding (1) Education about cancer and cancer prevention/early detection (2) Screening for common cancers and other illnesses that increase the risk of developing cancer (3) HIV testing (associated with multiple cancer including cervical cancer, blood cancer, and rare skin cancers) (4) Counseling/referrals to other local resources and cancer prevention opportunities.
National advocacy
Yes
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level:
• The University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science is a designated Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS), one of 16 nationally, which is a federally supported, NOAA Center of Excellence that brings together research and educational resources to increase scientific understanding of Earth’s oceans and atmosphere within the context of NOAA’s mission. Our location is key to addressing these research themes for understanding and tackling sustainable and resiliency plans —we are physically located at the crossroads of tropical meteorology and unique climate-related oceanographic processes, and adjacent to the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States. CIMAS researchers work closely with two NOAA laboratories located across the street from the Rosenstiel School—the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), and the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC), as well as the National Hurricane Center (NHC) located in West Miami.
• The University of Miami hosted its first Miami Climate Symposium bringing together industry and academic leaders to discuss a variety of climate issues and public policies related to: Tropical Cyclones, Global Warming, Resilience, Coastal Flooding, and Heat Waves. Featured speakers included partners from the Federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Miami-Dade County Chief Resiliency Officer.
• The University of Miami is a member of the Coastal Universities Coalition (CUC) that brings together leading academic institutions nationally, including international partners, to foster interdisciplinary research collaboration and shape public policy in order to address the challenges facing coastal communities and developing new sustainable resiliency plans. The coalition together has advocated for Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations related to NOAA’s Coastal Management and Resilience Grants; Coastal Science, Assessment, Response and Restoration; and the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund. The CUC most recently hosted Congressional roundtables to address sustainable solutions to coastal resilience regarding specific policy proposals about implementation and logistics of flood maps, nature-based infrastructure implementation, and the social impacts of sea-level rise and disaster recovery.
• The University of Miami’s Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing (CSTARS) presents scientific institutions, government entities and community organizations with a broad outlook on dangerous environmental phenomena, climate change, and coastal safety issues that can assist in more timely and efficient disaster planning. With the ability to create and assess pre and post disaster assessments, CSTARS was involved in the assessment of Hurricane Katrina damage, earthquake response efforts in Haiti, as well as in the monitoring of the resilient strategies around the ever-changing landscape.
• Through the Leadership UMiami program, a cohort of 25 students analyze local issues through public policy areas. These students then travel to DC to meet with elected officials on a number of topics including climate change, sustainability, water quality, and sea level rise.
- The University is a member of the Metrolab Network Consortium. As a member of the network, the University will research, develop, and deploy technologies and policy approaches to address challenges facing the nation’s urban areas.
"Our cities are living laboratories for innovation in addressing these challenges. Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami Beach and the City of Miami (in coordination with the Miami Foundation) created a unique partnership to apply for and receive the Rockefeller 100 Resilient Cities designation. Out of this process, Greater Miami and the Beaches was created to develop a Resilience Strategy for the entire county to address the challenges of urbanization, globalization and climate change"
http://metrolab.heinz.cmu.edu/
• The University of Miami hosted its first Miami Climate Symposium bringing together industry and academic leaders to discuss a variety of climate issues and public policies related to: Tropical Cyclones, Global Warming, Resilience, Coastal Flooding, and Heat Waves. Featured speakers included partners from the Federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Miami-Dade County Chief Resiliency Officer.
• The University of Miami is a member of the Coastal Universities Coalition (CUC) that brings together leading academic institutions nationally, including international partners, to foster interdisciplinary research collaboration and shape public policy in order to address the challenges facing coastal communities and developing new sustainable resiliency plans. The coalition together has advocated for Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations related to NOAA’s Coastal Management and Resilience Grants; Coastal Science, Assessment, Response and Restoration; and the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund. The CUC most recently hosted Congressional roundtables to address sustainable solutions to coastal resilience regarding specific policy proposals about implementation and logistics of flood maps, nature-based infrastructure implementation, and the social impacts of sea-level rise and disaster recovery.
• The University of Miami’s Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing (CSTARS) presents scientific institutions, government entities and community organizations with a broad outlook on dangerous environmental phenomena, climate change, and coastal safety issues that can assist in more timely and efficient disaster planning. With the ability to create and assess pre and post disaster assessments, CSTARS was involved in the assessment of Hurricane Katrina damage, earthquake response efforts in Haiti, as well as in the monitoring of the resilient strategies around the ever-changing landscape.
• Through the Leadership UMiami program, a cohort of 25 students analyze local issues through public policy areas. These students then travel to DC to meet with elected officials on a number of topics including climate change, sustainability, water quality, and sea level rise.
- The University is a member of the Metrolab Network Consortium. As a member of the network, the University will research, develop, and deploy technologies and policy approaches to address challenges facing the nation’s urban areas.
"Our cities are living laboratories for innovation in addressing these challenges. Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami Beach and the City of Miami (in coordination with the Miami Foundation) created a unique partnership to apply for and receive the Rockefeller 100 Resilient Cities designation. Out of this process, Greater Miami and the Beaches was created to develop a Resilience Strategy for the entire county to address the challenges of urbanization, globalization and climate change"
http://metrolab.heinz.cmu.edu/
International advocacy
Yes
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level:
On Aug. 3, 2020, UM Athletics Director, James Blake signed the UN Sports for Climate Action framework, reaffirming the University of Miami's commitment to carbon emission reduction.
The U.N. Sports for Climate Action Framework has two overarching objectives: to achieve a clear trajectory for the global sports community to combat climate change and to leverage sports as a unifying tool to drive climate awareness and action among global citizens. Signatories of the framework commit to five core principles: undertaking systematic efforts to promote greater environmental responsibility; reducing overall climate impact; educating for climate action; promoting sustainable and responsible consumption; and advocating for climate action through communication.
https://greenu.miami.edu/programs/green-athletics/index.html
The U.N. Sports for Climate Action Framework has two overarching objectives: to achieve a clear trajectory for the global sports community to combat climate change and to leverage sports as a unifying tool to drive climate awareness and action among global citizens. Signatories of the framework commit to five core principles: undertaking systematic efforts to promote greater environmental responsibility; reducing overall climate impact; educating for climate action; promoting sustainable and responsible consumption; and advocating for climate action through communication.
https://greenu.miami.edu/programs/green-athletics/index.html
Optional Fields
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None
A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):
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Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability advocacy efforts is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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